Shadow of the Hogs
by Frequency NecroKat
Summary: Tomba! It has been ten years since Tomba's last adventure, and since then, everyone has gone on with their lives. However, a new threat looms, and it's wearing huge amounts of metallic fabric. Where's a jungle boy when you need him ten years later? CH1 up


_Authoress' Notes: There is little, if any at all, Tomba-based writing out there. That's sad. It's such a worthy game that I decided to so some mysefl! This takes place 10 years after the end of Tomba! and 8 years after Tomba! 2: just so you have the timeline down. Please enjoy, chapter 2 is coming soon!_

**:Chapter 1:**

'**The Hot Witch'**

"Urgh! Bloody--!" The eyes of small frog looked up just in time to evade two trudging feet and the enormous purple velvet bag dragging behind them. "Urgh!" The velvet bag stopped abruptly, snagged on what appeared to be a stout, iridescent crystal portruding from the earth. The young woman who had previously been dragging the bag fell from the strong tug, thudding into the grass. "I need.. to pack.. lighter." The exasperated woman sighed heavily and gave a frustrated swat to her cumbersome luggage, which only caused her to withdraw her hand in pain. Her long, straight, aqua-blue hair was tangled and frizzy, as if she had just leapt from bed and ran out the door, and her purple fur-lined robes and witch's hat were messily thrown on, looking more like rags than clothing. She was rather pretty aside from her current disheveled appearance. No. She was gorgeous, with an elegantly filled-out frame and mesmerizing eyes which were fixated on the grass in front of her grimly. The frog hopped in front of her and croaked curiously, "Hello there. I suppose your moving out too, huh?" She smiled, gently cocking her head. The frog looked up at her quizzically, giving half a croak in response.

In one swift motion, the woman leapt forward to snatch the amphibian, sliding down clumsily and empty-handed as the frog scurried away out of her grasp. "Wait! Come back here!" She crawled after it, thrusting her hands out to try and catch it. The frog bounded around in a panic, trying to avoid her hands as they tried to clasp about it over and over again. "I need you for a spell-- oof!" Her pretty little head collided with a pretty hard rock, sending a wave of numbness down her body. She turned over on her back, sitting up dizzily just as the frog popped into her lap. She looked down and finally gave up the thought of trying to obtain the animal. "Oh well. You're right. It probably wouldn't have worked." She looked sadly back at the hut she had come from. Up and down the walls small crystals formed, slowly barricading the door shut and frosting over the tiny windows. "It's just.. I've lived here my entire life. I really don't want to be chased out of here after all these years. What makes those darn pigs think their so high and mighty? Well, other than their extreme magical power, extreme wealth..." She rested her hands on her chin, elbows to her knees, "I know you weren't around that long ago, but I'm sure your great grand-froggy didn't think they'd be back so soon. Back ever, even. But, look at all this mess." The frog looked once more at her and hopped off into the grass innocently. The woman only pouted as it left, shouting after it, "Fine, don't listen to an old woman ramble!" She slowly stood up and turned to retrieve her bag, left behind in the struggle to catch the slimy frog, "But, try to stay safe here, okay?" She whispered over her shoulder.

"Who do you want to stay safe? It's a bit of a lost cause." A man walked up, the purple velvet bag under his arm. He appeared about forty, and had a straw hat so large that obscured most of his face. His vest was covered with the remnants of plant debris, and his shorts were frayed from walking about in the bushes around the area, "Left your bag, Mizuno. What's in here? It's really heavy."

"Hey, Joe." Mizuno looked over at him, "It's pretty much everything I could carry. My spells books, ingredients, etceteras, etceteras. I didn't want to leave anything those nasty pigs could use to ruin this place more."

"That's impossible. This place is a dump now." He handed the witch a staff, left behind at some earlier point. "I think you'd want to keep this."

"Thanks, and I suppose this place being a dump is your responsibility, being the groundskeeper and all." She stuck out her tongue and put her hands on her hips, "Are you leaving, too?"

"Sal's got his fishing boat ready. He was going to take me and Charles down south. He checked out Baccus Village a few days ago, but that place is stuffed with people already. I could see if your could hitch a ride." Joe hoisted the bag up a bit and started to lead the way to the shore beyond the mansion, which was already starting to fall victim to the crystals, which now blocked all the doors and covered most of the walls.

"That'd be great. As long as Sal keeps his fishy hands off of me." She smirked and fixed her hat, "I hope the Wilds down south aren't affected with anything weird, yet..." She wasn't particularly worried about camping in the dirt or roughing it. She loved roughing it. Instead, she was worried about someone else. Someone who had helped them escape a similar fate almost ten years ago. The Wilds were how the pigs got there in the first place, and she was sure that was how they got in this time.

---

"I've seen more Koma Pigs around here." Charles said. It had been nearly five years from the defeat of the chromatic Evil Pigs. "That can't be good."

"Oh, chill out. They're probably just what's left over. You can't ever expect them all to be gone." Mizuno sat stirring at her cauldron, probably making more candy, although it smelled rather disgusting at the moment, "Tomba got rid of the main Evil Pigs, so that's what's important. The rest will scatter eventually."

"I'm not sure. Isn't there supposed to be less of them, rather than more?" Charles hung from her coat rack, pinching his nose tight. He let go of the hook and fell, though, when the loud stomping of pigs' feet filled the air like thunder, "What the--!?"

"Shush!" Mizuno rushed over, covering the monkey's mouth, "Are those... more pigs?" She carefully peered outside. An entire army of Koma Pigs marched past the hut, across the bridge, built there after their first defeat, and into the Forest of All Beginnings. Mizuno could barely see without being spotted in her window, but she could see someone. Someone clad in golden robes and covered in golden jewelry. What was worse was that it wasn't a human. It was another pig, "Charles, it's an Evil Pig out there!" She whispered, "I thought... I thought they were all gone!"

"I told you! I told you!" Charles whimpered. He clutched his head and watched out the window, "I knew something was up. We have to tell Sal, and Joe, and the Old Men, and.. and.."

"Charles, calm down." Mizuno peered out again. The gold-clad pig was talking. She slowly inched her hand up to the window, and opened it less than an inch: just enough to let sound through.

"Koma Pigs! Twice we have been defeated. The Chromatics and the Elements were twarted by the hands of that little cave-devil. We, however, shall not be foiled the same way. No; We are all powerful! We are the highest ranks of the Evil Pigs! I, Gold Pig, shall avenge our brethren, despite their capture being of their own stupidity." The pig snorted. "The little nuisance has been.. taken care of." She laughed loudly, holding up a pendant on the end of a golden chain. Mizuno couldn't see what it was, but evoked a loud, snorting cheer from the Koma pigs, and that was never good.

"Mizuno, we're in trouble. Big touble."

---

"All right, everybody, hold on tight. This boat is a bit of a rough ride," Sal, the local fisherman and merchant, spoke as he started the engine, "but she's a beaut out in the open sea." The entire boat vibrated violently with the start, and Mizuno looked questioningly at it.

"Get ready, I'm about to get in a shaky boat while wearing heels!" Mizuno stumbled into the boat, tumbling into Sal's arms, "Geez, is this thing seaworthy anymore? It was old and creepy last time I got in it six years ago."

"Heh heh, I don't mind it all that much." Sal leaned his head in next to Mizuno's, puckering his lips.

"Er, ew. Sorry. Until you wear something other than leg wraps, an open purple shirt, and a tight, way-too-creepy red thong, it's not going to happen." She elbowed his gut lightly to get him off of her.

"I can wear my birthday suit, sweetheart." Sal grinned widely, raising his eyebrows confidently and rubbing his stomach sorely.

"Joe, can I switch places with you? Please!?" Mizuno quickly crawled across Joe's lap, not waiting for a response, and plopped herself on the opposing side of the boat, "How long will this take, anyway?"

"About a day or so. Since the crystals got into the water, it's like a maze to get off the shore." Charles held the map out, reading it and penciling in crude adjustments as he looked for new crystal growths.

"No way! That long? It used be less than two hours away..." Mizuno groaned, "Those pigs make such a mess." She sat back, closing her eyes, "We'll be there by morning then. At least we'll get to camp out in the Wilds at the end!"

"Yeah, at least you're excited." Joe sighed, pulling his hat lower to hide his face from the sun, "The Wilds are dangerous. They're chock full of Kokka birds."

"Nothing a little spell can't handle." The day moved by quietly, with intervals of bright laughter and story telling on the part of Charles. It wasn't long before the sun was setting in a fiery blaze, and the faintest shadows of stars started to appear in the cooling sky.

---

_Where? Where is this? Where am I? _Mizuno looked around. She was surrounded by trees, tall enough that their leaves stained the sky a lime green and the harsh midday sunlight was dimmed to a shady luminescence. Around her bounced delicate glowing orbs, dust illuminated by the light. The glow lit the world around her, and she stood up to walk through the gateway of arched tree trunks. She looked around as she passed under the trees, the glittering orbs slowly dissipating as she reached the end of the woody corridor. She heard something walk by her to the left, then immediately to the right. She spun in dazed wonder to find nothing, but as she went to walking again she saw someone ahead.

_Tomba? _Mizuno walked closer, reaching her hand out to touch the young boy's shoulder. He had his back turned to her, but she could see it was the same boy she saw many years ago. Exactly the same, from his toes up to his wild pink hair. He was wearing his tattered green shorts and covered with a layer of dust and dirt collected with a finely honed skill. _Tomba? Is that you?_

He didn't answer but he turned around to face her, his usual beaming grin across his face, ear to ear. Mizuno happily smiled, and walked closer. _Tomba, we need your help! You have to come back, the Evil Pigs returned to ruin our land._ She stopped short. Something appeared right behind him.

The pig dressed in a golden robe and jewelry, laughing wildly as she rose up and snatched up Tomba, away from Mizuno's grasp. She ran after the fleeing pig, trying to rescue the pink-haired boy. _Aaah!_ Mizuno slid back suddenly, her legs flailing up ahead of her as two other pigs, dressed in copper and silver robes, each grabbed one of her long pigtails. She fell hard on her back, and could only look up helplessly as the two pigs circled her, cackling, and rose their hands producing two shining knives, plunging them down into

Mizuno gasped loudly as she stirred from her dream, rocking the boat and knocking Charles off the side, "Gyaaah! What on earth!?"

"Charles, I'm sorry." Mizuno and Joe quickly fished Charles from the water, dragging up a soaked and unhappy monkey as Sal laughed uncontrollably at the scene.

"Geez, Mizuno! What were you dreaming about? You were screaming!" Charles shook himself quickly, wringing out his parasol, "Nevermind. I don't wanna know. We've hit shore." The monkey pointed at the tropical scene, climbing unsteadily out of the boat.

The group walked up the beach and up to the wall of looming trees. Their branches hung over like claws waiting to grab at anyone who entered. Needless to say, everyone was a bit wary of breaching the tree-line.

"You said it was dangerous, you didn't say it was creepy." Joe grumbled, slowly receding behind Sal, "You go in first."

"No, don't be a baby, you go in first."

"No, you!"

"Be a man!"

"And why don't you?"

Mizuno looked at the trees, trying to blank the argument out of her mind. The Wilds were free of spells from what she could see. It made her a little jealous at how beautiful this place still was, despite it's naturally occuring dangers. Her dream pecked at her ind again, and she couldn't help but wonder if maybe it wasn't too late for her homeland. This is the place. Maybe he still lives here! She smiled brightly and started through the trees, "Bye guys! Have fun bickering, I'll be back later."

"I am a man. I've already proven I'm a man. You are still a questionable case!" Sal poked at Joe's chest with a condescending smirk.

"The main reason people know you're a man is that you wear that skimpy red swim wear and blatantly flash it about."

"Guys! If you haven't noticed, little miss adventure has plowed through into the rough without you knowing." Charles put his hands against his hips, pointing into the trees before charging in himself. The other two stood dumbstruck for a moment. They soon ran after her, leaving a trail of sandy clouds behind them.

"Wait up! It's dangerous!"


End file.
